"Shame" Shovel, half-orc private eye
"Shame" Shovel uses material from the Complete Adventurer and the "Thug" fighter variant from the Unearthed Arcana (available in the SRD here). "Shame" Shovel CR 8 Half-orc Thug 5, Streetfighter 3 CN Medium humanoid Init +6, Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Listen +1, Spot +1 Languages Common, Orc, Giant, Goblin ----------------------- AC 11, touch 10, flat-footed 11 hp 64 (5d10+3d8+24) Resist: Stand tough 1/day Fort +11, Ref +2, Will +3 Weakness Orc Blood ---------------------- Speed 30 ft. (6 squares) Melee +1 merciful sap +11/+6 (2d6+2 nonlethal) Ranged Masterwork dart +9/+3 (1d4+2) Base Atk +8, Grp +10 Atk Options: Sneak attack +1d6, combat expertise, improved feint Combat gear: +1 merciful sap, 2 mwk darts, potion of bear's endurance --------------------- Abilities: Str 15, Dex 10, Con 16, Int 15, Wis 12, Cha 13 Feats: Improved initiative, combat expertise, great fortitude, improved feint, investigator Skills: Bluff +9, gather information +13, intimidate +12, hide +10, knowledge (local) +12, move silently +10, search +10 Posessions: Combat gear, plus padded armour, various papers, bottle of scotch, awesome hat, office (property worth about 200 gp, less some depreciation from fire damage) Personality and Notes right|200px "I don't care who, what, why or when. As long as it's in the city, I'll find it." One of the many occupants in some metropolis, "Shame" Shovel is one of the most streetwise and persistent private detectives money can buy. With a variety of contacts in the criminal underworld and a remarkable eye for clues, Shovel can fulfill the intellectual side of an investigation; being a scarred, 200 cm tall brute and a selectively unfriendly disposition, he's even better at making the physical requirements. Shovel isn't above strongarming a lead into giving up information, nor is he incapable of defending himself from the inevitable backlash. Shovel's office is perpetually in a state of disrepair from some brawl with thugs, and the evidence is portrayed in bruises on his face. "Balderk can't be paying you that much, can he? You think he's going to cover those two fingers you just broke? How about this thumb, here? Ah, now you're memory's clearing up. Funny how that works." Shovel's mother named her son "Shame" as a result of his origins; similar to a lot of half-orcs, he came about from a not entirely consensual union. Shovel's mother didn't warm up to her son as he grew up, either, and his childhood consisted entirely of coldness and hostility. It takes a survival strategy to survive such an environment; Shovel's was to become completely unfazed by the emotions or pain of others. Though he has charisma in the short term - enough to intimidate or bluff someone he's talking to - anyone who spends a few days in his company will realize what an unpleasant individual he can be. "Only case I never solved was the death of my mother. The guard decided to stop paying me to investigate, and I didn't give enough of a crap to complete it myself." Shovel is sometimes hired as a freelancer by the city guard, but by and large he's hired by wealthy individuals and, thus, works alone. Fortunately, he's quite able to take care of himself; he's not a hired goon, but realizes that in his line of work violence is occasionally the only option. His custom-made +1 merciful sap is quite useful for self-defense and taking prisoners, and his leather coat is thick enough to serve as padded armour. Furthermore, Shovel is incredibly resilient; absorbing heavy blows that would fell a lesser man with hardly a grunt of pain. Also, his hat is totally badass. It's gotta be the hat. "That's gonna bruise tomorrow." Plot Hooks Cat: A serial killer or killers is loose in the city, and the PCs are ill equipped to find them. Hiring on "Shame" Shovel is a fine means of finding the killer(s), and may serve useful in the resultant battle to stop them. Mouse: The PCs have pissed off the wrong person, and what goes around comes around. Shovel has been hired to find where the PCs are hiding and what their daily routine is. The PCs must be very, very careful to keep him off their trail - if they even know he's after them. ShameShameShameShameShame